


What Happens Now?

by SparkleAndShine



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Reunions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 00:45:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13799820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkleAndShine/pseuds/SparkleAndShine
Summary: Last night it was all so simple.Mr Dingle. Mr Sugden.They loved each other and they were together again, Robert back home where he belonged, in the Mill, with Aaron.But can it really be that simple?Robert has to ask...what happens now?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been ages since I've written anything and I decided that Robert and Aaron were the perfect inspiration! Written all at once and posted before I could talk myself out of it :) .

Prologue

  
It was quiet when Robert finally opened his eyes. He’d been wallowing in the warmth, drifting, half-asleep half-awake, listening to the muffled sound of birds singing through the nearby window, and the quiet, snuffly breaths of the man next to him. Robert moaned softly to himself, twisting and mashing his face into the pillow. He was beginning to wake up, he could feel it, and he desperately, desperately didn’t want to. If he kept his eyes closed, stayed asleep he could pretend this was real: that the warmth of the bed came from Aaron, not thick blankets; that the quiet breaths were truly Aaron’s breathing, not his imagination; that the pressure on his arm came from Aaron using it as a pillow, not from a book dropped when he fell asleep mid-page.  
He could pretend Aaron still loved him.

Finally Robert couldn’t deny it anymore, blindly he reached out to flip the quilt covers back, twisting his body to shuffle closer to the edge of …

“Oomph.”

Robert froze.

That wasn’t his imagination.

Oh god, what had he done last night? Where was he? What if Aaron saw …

“Rob?” Quiet. Soft. Sleepy.

Familiar.

“Rob, what’s wrong? I can hear your brain spinning from here.”

Frozen, locked in place. Was it…it sounded like…slowly, so slowly Robert twisted around to face the voice, eyes still glued shut. Again. Soft. “Rob.”  
Robert opened his eyes.  
Blue eyes. Black curls, wild and soft in the early morning light. Dark stubble close enough to touch.

Aaron.

The stubble twitched around a small smile, “Morning,” a warm hand reached out and ran itself up Robert’s arm slowly, making all the fine hairs stand on end. Robert started, twitched, and promptly fell backwards off the bed.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 

Thump. Silence.  Humiliation. Mortification. Heat rushing through pale skin.

“Rob?”

Robert could feel the violent blush colouring his face, but he looked up and saw those blue eyes, dancing, the dark stubble, framing a wide smile, hair haloed in the window.

 

Aaron.

 

“Well that was graceful.”

“Shut up,” but Robert accepted the hand that reached down to him, and smiled as that hand first pulled him up, then down, onto a pillow of hard muscle and warm skin.

“Morning.” It was whispered against Aaron’s mouth, followed by light, almost chaste kisses. Large hands slid over Robert’s back, mapping freckles from memory, tracing the knobs of his spine, cupping handfuls of muscle and flesh and making Robert’s whole body shudder.

“Just checkin’ for bruises.” Aaron laughed as he spoke knocking their noses against each other in Eskimo kisses while his hands did their work. It didn’t stay that way for long though; soon heated kisses, being pushed over, back, down, into the blankets, beneath Aaron, wrapping long legs around his waist and sliding a hand between their bodies to…

“Aaron!”

Liv’s shout echoed through the house, Aaron sighed dropping his head down onto Robert’s shoulder with a huff, whispering “Don’t,” when Robert moved to unwrap his legs, “She’ll be on her way to school, she won’t come…”. Clomping footsteps echoing along the landing…towards the bedroom door.

“Aaron!”

Aaron threw himself out of bed…narrowly avoiding causing Robert serious injury…and lunged for the door, opening it a crack and peering round, making sure to keep the rest of him…all of him…hidden from his little sister.

“What?” Gravelly, husky…suggestive. Liv frowned at her brother.

“What you doing in bed still? Thought you were driving me to school today?” She barely paused before continuing. “Never mind. I’ll be late back tonight, going out with some friends after school.”

Aaron blinked a few times, willing his brain to kick into gear, “Be back by 8. Don…”

“’t cause any trouble. I know.”

Liv finished the sentence with her brother before flashing him a smile, turning and making her way downstairs. Aaron stood there, listening, till he heard the front door close and click.

The he slowly closed the bedroom door, pausing to get his breathing under control before turning to face Robert. His Robert. His husband.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Aaron turned round, leaning back against the door, he expected to see Robert lounged back against the bed, on display, grinning and waiting for Aaron to come back. He’d seen it so many times before, long limbs and pale skin stretched out and inviting, a big, cheesy grin that said Robert knew exactly what effect he had on Aaron. Months of ignoring his day dreams, convincing himself he would never have this again, convincing himself he never wanted to have this again. It was hard to know where to start – with his mouth or hands, which part of Robert’s body to…

Oh.

Robert was sitting up, shirt crumpled up in his lap, hands twisting in the fabric, staring down as though the answer to everything was hidden in his lap (to be fair Aaron had though that many times before!). He looked…nervous…unsure, no blinding, inviting grin, and suddenly Aaron hesitated.  

“Ya fancy a brew?”

Ok…not the smoothest line…but it did make Robert look up and smile, so it could have been worse. A small nod and Aaron pulled on some trackies, forgotten on the floor from yesterday, and headed downstairs.

Robert stared after him, still twisting and scrunching the shirt in his lap. Aaron looked…even better than before, long lines of muscle down his back, strong, lean legs, and when he turned round! Confident…unashamed…not concerned about the scars on display, clearly not even thinking about them…and that was brilliant it was…it was all Robert wanted, for Aaron to know how amazing he was. He couldn’t help wondering though, would this Aaron, beautiful, confident, strong Aaron really want him, screwed up, constant disappointment, father, in the cold light of day.

Downstairs Aaron pottered around, humming quietly to himself (not that he’d admit it), the kettle was boiling, and he opened the cupboard, reaching back around some dusty packets and tins, grabbed hold of a handle and lifted carefully. Robert’s mug. He hadn’t been able to get rid of it, called himself a sentimental idiot, but it had sat there, waiting...for today apparently.

He’d just finished tossing the teabags in the bin, dropping the spoon in the sink when he heard footsteps. Turning he held out the mug, smiling lightly when Robert reached out. Stopped. Stared. Smiled.  Then grasped the mug, leaning back against the sofa, long legs stretched out in front of him. Aaron grinned to himself behind his mug, enjoying the view.

“So.”

“So.”

“Last night. Happened.”

“Yep.” Aaron couldn’t help himself, putting his tea down and moving closer, hands reaching, first for a mug, moving it out the way, then wrapping his hands around slim hips, smoothing fabric beneath his fingers.

Robert seemed to light up the closer Aaron got, standing taller and reaching out, mirroring Aaron, tracing small circles over smooth skin, catching the edge of a scar, but not even earning a raised eyebrow from his hu…Aaron.

“You…um…haven’t changed your mind then.”

Quirk of an eyebrow at Robert attempting to be funny and Aaron leaned in, pressing his lips to the pulse point in front of him before slowly making his way upwards, latching onto an earlobe as Robert dropped his head back.

“Aaron.”

It was barely a sigh, but it made Aaron’s face light up like a Christmas tree as he started working his way down, doing his best to unbutton and untuck at the same time.

“I’ve missed that.” He could hear the smile in his voice. Knew Robert could too.

“What?”

“My name. You say it like…like no one else.” It was strange…now he’d started making declarations like that it was hard to stop, it was worth it though, for the shiver that ran through Robert, for the fact that he’d brought Robert home at all!

“Aaron.”

“Aaron.”

“Aaron.”

He started off breathy, changed his tone to sultry, seductive, urgent, desperate, Aaron’s name again and again and again, until they were both laughing too hard to say anything, grappling as much as groping and fell over the back of the sofa.

Aaron landed with a thump of top of Robert, hands holding his upper body up, but lower halves lining up and making them both gasp…they weren’t laughing any more. A light kiss, another, another, shirt untucked, a hand pushed inside of tracksuit bottoms. Aaron reached for Robert’s zip, trying to co-ordinate hands and legs and mouth…

The phone rang.

Aaron’s head dropped down onto Robert’s shoulder with a sigh, felt a hand come up to comb through his hair.

“I think we’ve been here before.” This time the smile in Robert’s voice was not appreciated. “Up, I need to find it.”

Sigh. Aaron reached down the side of the sofa, felt around, and pulled the trilling phone out triumphantly.  He settled himself more comfortably on Robert’s chest as he answered.

“Hi.

Yep.

No.

Yeah.

I’ll be there soon as.

Bye.”

Hang up. Rueful smile.

“I’ve gotta go.”

“Meeting?” Aaron was already moving as he asked, levering himself off Robert, reaching out to pull him up.

“No.”

His voice made Aaron look up from where he’d been doing Robert’s zip up (and if he was lingering a bit who could blame him). He sounded…nervous.

“That was Diane, she’s going out and…and she’s got Seb so I need to…need to get back to him.”

He met Aaron’s eyes, looked almost like he wanted to apologise for going to his son.

“Hey, remember what I said, he’s your little boy.” Emphasis on your, flashback to the floor of the garage, Aaron saying he wanted Robert, wanted Seb, that got a smile.

There was a quick hunt for coats and wallets, keys and watches…their arrival home last night had been a bit…enthusiastic and…messy.

Then they were standing at the door. Robert all dressed, Aaron still shirtless and shoeless but it was Robert who felt unsure. He wanted to go, wanted to see Seb, but…what if walking out that door ended this…and Aaron changed his mind once he was out of sight.

He could feel their rings burning a hole in his wallet. Was it too soon? Would Aaron accept it? Was he brave enough to ask?

“Aaron,” a dark head looked up from hands that were fussing with Robert’s jacket, “what happens now?”


End file.
